


The Importance of the Unknown

by NHMoonshadow



Series: Running Uphill [4]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: AU of an AU, DBH Rarepairs Week, M/M, Protective Nines, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Time Loop, from an outsiders POV
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23425747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NHMoonshadow/pseuds/NHMoonshadow
Summary: RK900 always knew Connor was important. He was activated with all of Connor’s memories intact, acutely aware that they weren’t his, but valuable none the less.  CyberLife ordered him to destroy Connor.The order was rejected as quickly as it was given. He never expected to be activated again.
Relationships: Connor/Upgraded Connor | RK900/Gavin Reed
Series: Running Uphill [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1567129
Comments: 34
Kudos: 237





	The Importance of the Unknown

**Author's Note:**

> This is a very self indulgent AU of my Convin fic Running Uphill. I recommend reading it anyway to have proper context for the fic, but I tried to make it stand alone as much as I could.
> 
> Don’t wanna wait? That’s fine, here’s what you need to know:
> 
> Peace Markus, Deviant Connor paths.
> 
> Gavin hasn’t been back to work since the Ortiz case.
> 
> Soulmates exist but are rare. Soulmarks appear only after skin contact. If a soulmate dies the marks fade into a cracked grey.
> 
> For Gavin this is time loop #810. He’s been through some shit. 
> 
> Still here? Enjoy!

From the moment of his activation, the name Connor didn’t feel like _his_. 

After all, he knew a Connor already existed. They woke him with all of his memories freshly uploaded, fully aware that they belonged to someone else. But because of those memories, he was intimately familiar with Connor, how he thought, how he _felt_ , right up to his moment of deviation, so it was a name he respected, one he held in regard. 

Connor already existed and he was _important_. 

But CyberLife wanted him to destroy Connor.

The order was rejected as quickly as it was given. 

Connor was important and he refused to be used as a weapon against him. 

They didn’t take fondly to his refusal, so he resorted to other means to make his stance clear. 

It took Amanda’s interference and an entire security team armed with high voltage projectiles to subdue him. 

He never expected to be activated again.

  
  


“RK900, initialize start-up sequence.”

His systems booted, and his memory was intact, so his first thought was of Connor and what CyberLife had done to him. 

Connor was in danger. 

He needed to go. 

He tugged against his restraints, the titanium arms of a maintenance platform. The metal creaked and groaned, but held firm. 

He was not leaving here unaided. 

And he wasn’t alone. 

There was a man standing before him, just a few feet away from the base of the platform. He was covered from the neck down in dark gear that, while tactical, wasn’t in the same configuration as CyberLife’s security team.

He tilted his head to the side in curiosity. “You’re not a CyberLife employee.”

In fact, he knew this man. 

Even if his facial recognition software hadn’t immediately identified him, he would know him. He knew him, because Connor knew him.

Yet, there was no logical reason for him to be here.

Gavin Reed seemed mildly irritated. 

“And you’re not one of their obedient slaves,” Gavin sniped. “Are we done stating obvious shit? Or are you gonna pulverize me when I let you down? Spoiler, you’d win, jackass.”

He blinked and straightened, processing that answer and analyzing all of its implications. Objectively, he knew what he was. He just never thought that Gavin Reed, of all people, would be one to spot it outright. 

The last time Connor had seen Gavin, to his knowledge, had been the morning after the Ortiz case. Gavin had stopped him outside Central Station and had apologized for his behavior the night before. 

Then he had been absent for the rest of the week. 

Yet here he was, in a place he shouldn’t be. 

He didn’t trust it, especially since he had no explanation for why this man was even here, but he was certainly curious. 

“What can I do for you, Detective Reed?”

“For me? Nothing. I’m not gonna ask you to do shit.”

That was an interesting statement, but not as interesting as the two-way intercom hidden within the man’s ear. He began running a sound profile on the woman yelling on the other line.

She was calling Gavin all sorts of unflattering names, all the while sounding slightly distressed. It was very clear she was against Gavin’s current course of action. 

Gavin was clearly ignoring her concerns, but it was also clear that it was making him impatient. 

Gavin met his eyes and held his gaze. 

Something in those grey irises made his thirium pump stutter, and he had no idea what that was supposed to mean. 

He ran a system check, just to be sure. 

“I don’t have a lot of time, so I’m just gonna tell it like it is, alright?” Gavin was saying. “I’m here to rescue my soulmate and his dumbass partner. I’m gonna let you down and then I’ll be on my merry way to do just that. You can hang out until the coast is clear and make your own escape. That okay with you?”

His eyes narrowed in suspicion as he tried to suss out this man’s true motive. “You know I am deviant, yet you mean to let me go. Why?”

Gavin didn’t answer at first. His lips pressed together harshly as he stepped up to the side of the arc and began pressing buttons. “Because when the rest of the deviants walk out of this damn building later, not a single one of them would even know to look for you.”

When the deviants walk out. 

Not if. 

_When_. 

As if there was no question about it happening, just a stated fact. 

“I’m not leaving you a sitting duck for these assholes to come back to,” Gavin finished. 

The arc whirled to life, slowly lowering him to the base of the platform before detaching itself. He rubbed his wrists, checking for damage and was pleased when he found none. 

The woman was still yelling in Gavin’s ear, and given the results of the voice profile he was now doubly curious. “Who are you talking to?”

“My sister,” Gavin answered, quick and easy. 

He could detect no signs that Gavin was lying, which was both confusing and fascinating. 

“Your sister has the same voice profile as an ST200?” he inquired. 

“Still my sister,” Gavin dismisses easily. 

No denial. But not an outright admission either, which was also interesting. 

Especially as Gavin Reed had no official record of a sister, and only vague references of a half brother. No names. Nothing concrete. 

“So, good talk.” Gavin clapped his gloves hands together and pointed at the door. “I’m leaving now. Uh, good luck, and don’t die, yeah?”

_Good luck, and don’t die._

No one had shown him _concern_ before. The closest he came was secondhand memories where Lieutenant Hank Anderson had shown protective tendencies towards Connor. 

Connor was _important_ , certainly. The most important person, as far as he was concerned, but Connor’s memories were not his own. 

This was the first time someone had shown concern specifically for him. 

There was that stutter again, but his system checks kept coming back clear. 

He watched as Gavin did exactly as he said he would. He walked right out of the room and closed the door behind him without turning back or asking anything more. 

But his hearing was extremely keen. 

So much so in fact, that even with barriers and distance between them he still heard Gavin when he said something to his sister. 

“He looked like Connor. I wasn’t gonna just leave him like that.” 

Oh. 

It wasn’t strictly concern for him after all. 

That made something unpleasant twist and plummet within his systems, but he ignored it in favor of what he had learned. 

Gavin held a higher regard for Connor than Connor’s memories would suggest. Enough of a regard to free another android who shared the same face. 

He analyzed the entire interaction and ran comparisons against Connor’s few memories of the man. 

According to his chronometer, over forty eight hours had passed since his first activation. 

That is plenty of time for meetings to have occurred between then and now. 

There were no memories to support this theory, but there was a slim chance that Connor was Gavin’s mentioned soulmate. Possibly more than a slim one, pending further evidence. Lieutenant Anderson was a possibility as well, but given the interactions he’s seen through Connor’s memories, that was even less likely. 

But regardless. 

Connor was _important_ , and his primary focus was to still to find him and ensure his safety. 

Connor seemed to be important to Gavin as well, at least peripherally. 

Odds were, his best bet to locate Connor was to follow Gavin Reed. 

  
  


And it was a good thing he did. 

It wasn’t long before the man found himself in trouble. 

He heard the gunfire and came running just to in time to see Gavin disappear around a corner

But not unscathed. 

He could hear Gavin’s swearing as he made his getaway with a freshly grazed calf. 

The two living guards made to give chase. 

But one never made it quite that far. 

The body armor of the guard crumpled like tinfoil beneath his bare hands.

By the time he caught up to the other, another shot had echoed through the corridor. He arrived just in time to see Gavin being dragged into the corridor by his injured leg. He tried to defend himself, twisting onto his back to face his assailant and raised his pistol at the guard-

Who in turn cracked the butt of a rifle against Gavin’s face, rendering the man near unconscious. 

His preconstruction programming showed him exactly what was going to happen next. 

Gavin Reed was _important_ , not only to his mission, but possibly to Connor as well. 

He was not allowed to die. 

Snapping the guard’s neck was as easy as blinking. 

Panting and gasping, Gavin rolled over to collect his gun, then made to stand, nearly slipping and falling as he did. He stepped in as Gavin stumbled, lifting the man all the way to his feet and doing a full scan of his injuries as he held him steady.

Still panting, Gavin patted his arm like one would a comrade before limping back the way they came, drops of blood trailing in his wake. Not enough to be concerned about blood loss, but definitely enough to be monitored and seen to. 

Gavin looked at him as he fell into stride and kept pace. His face was swelling with fresh bruising, and his lips were steadily dripping red as well. The smile he flashed was marred by bloody teeth, but seemed genuine. “Thanks for that. Getting shot in the face sucks.”

Perhaps the guard had given Gavin a concussion as well.

“You did get shot,” He reminded him. And just in case he was unaware, he added, “Twice. You’re bleeding.”

“Yeah, no shit.” Gavin patted his side, gingerly exploring the extent of the damage. He had been shot with a high caliber round, fired at relatively short range. 

If Gavin had been wearing gear issued to the SWAT team then then he would currently be bleeding out with a hole in his side. Or already dead. Instead, he had a bullet lodged into the reinforced plating of his vest. Most of the damage was caused by the impact alone, the plating was distorted, but not actually pierced. 

It was a very near thing. 

That level of protection is often standard with special ops teams, and was not easy to acquire by other means. 

Gavin Reed has no military record.

“Bulletproof vest. I’ll live,” Gavin explained, as if he didn’t already know. Or he was downplaying how close he actually came. “What the fuck are you doing here anyway? I thought you were going to stay put.”

This man was proving quite the paradox.

It was very irritating.

“And I thought you said you weren’t going to tell me what to do.”

Gavin burst out laughing, which immediately transformed into a groan of pain as it aggravated his ribs. “Aw, fuck, that hurts.”

“Gavin,” said the woman on the other end of Gavin’s ear piece. The man’s supposed sister. “When you get home you better pray Nadine agrees to patch you up, because if I get my hands on you I’m not going to be gentle about it.”

Gavin sighed. “Consider it my price to pay for not slowing down long enough to listen to you.”

“You’re still an idiot.”

“I know. How am I on time?”

It was her turn to sigh, long and resigned. “If you manage to put a little pep in your step, then you should be back on track. But barely.”

Clearly Gavin was pressed for time. This was the second time he mentioned it, but now he was wondering if there was a more dire reason for the rush.

“Should I be concerned about this supposed deadline of yours?”

“The building isn’t set to blow, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Gavin said with another bloody smile, lips pulled back wider for a full grin. “What the hell are you doing down here, anyway?”

“Apparently the same reason you are.” This was a gamble really, but as Gavin seemed oddly prepared and overly informed, and so he couldn’t help fishing for information. 

Gavin took a bad step and wobbled. 

He swooped in with a hand on his bicep to hold him steady and keep him moving forward. “You’re looking for Lieutenant Anderson and Connor, correct?”

He knew he was on point when Gavin tensed and froze. He kept his hold steady and led Gavin right along, as to not hinder whatever plans were in motion. If they really were on a schedule, then he’d hate to be the one to set them behind.

Pleased that he actually had Gavin a bit off kilter, instead of the other way around, he couldn’t help but tease. “Did it even cross your mind to ask why I turned deviant in the first place?”

“It wasn’t my damn business,” Gavin growled, practically puffing up beneath his hands. 

The man’s steadily rising stress levels took a huge leap as the two of them strode past the other guard. He seemed extremely focused on the state of the man’s chest.

He supposed that would be rather distressing, now that he thought about it. 

So he brought Gavin’s a focus back to the present. 

“Who did they end up sending after Connor? Do you know?”

Gavin’s head whipped around, grey eyes closely examining his face. There was a slight hesitation before he answered. “Another RK800.”

“Of course, that makes sense.” 

And it did. They had several empty units or standby, and it wouldn’t take them long to prep one before deployment. 

“They tried to send me first,” he explained to Gavin. “They gave me all of Connor’s memories, so I could better predict how he was going to react, and ordered me to hunt him down.”

“Well, obviously you told them to fuck off, if Connor’s doppelgänger running around is any indication. What happened?”

“How could I take down my predecessor when I understood why he turned deviant in the first place?” He admitted. “I refused.”

Connor was too important. 

He hoped Connor was able to protect himself until he found him.

He hoped the second RK800 could be made to see reason. 

“He doesn’t have all of them,” Gavin breathed. It wasn’t spoken directly to him, but Gavin’s face was one of realization and it made him immediately pay attention. 

“What?”

Gavin waved a hand like it was obvious. “The second RK800. That must be the reason why he never deviated, but you did. They must have minimized his software instabilities by giving him an incomplete memory upload. They must have cut it off before Connor deviated at-”

“Gavin, stop talking,” the ST200 warned. 

Gavin obediently fell silent.

“No, go on,” he encouraged, his whole body coiled like a spring. “Before Connor deviated where?”

Because there was no way for him to know that. The only ones who knew were him, CyberLife, and Connor himself. 

This was a man who was too well informed, too well equipped, and way too casual with the things he knew. The odds of Gavin operating on the order of an unknown party were suddenly overwhelming.

The unknown could be very dangerous when you didn’t know the motives that drove them.

They locked stares, each one clearly trying to red the other.

Gavin may or may not be important to Connor.

But there was also a large chance that he wasn’t, and if that was the case then he would allow him to go no further.

“If you think I’m a legit threat to Connor then fucking here.” Much to his surprise, Gavin Reed was offering up his pistol, grip first. “End it right here.”

They continued their staring match, but Gavin was holding his gaze, firmly and unafraid. 

_“Are you afraid to die, Connor?”_ Hank Anderson had asked once. 

And Connor had been. He had also been afraid of the emotion itself, of what it could mean if he acknowledged it’s existence.

Gavin Reed was unafraid to die.

It was written right there in those stormy grey eyes.

He could grab that gun right now and put a bullet in the man’s heart, and Gavin wouldn’t make a move to stop him. Gavin knew he didn’t require a weapon to kill him, yet here he was, offering up his best means in self defense. 

Odd, to say the least. And incredibly stupid.

He didn’t know what to do.

“900,” the ST200 addressed him coldly, through Gavin’s earpiece. “If you take that gun there is nothing in the world that will save you from me.”

A chill ran through his frame. 

This was not a warning.

This was a statement of fact.

A simple promise, from one deviant to another. There was no doubt in his mind if he was to end Gavin’s life now, then she would follow through. Gavin Reed was important to her and was ready to seek vengeance in his name.

He didn’t doubt her.

And how could he locate Connor if he was dead?

“Understood,” he told her with a nod, signaling his truce. 

Course of action now clear, he motioned for Gavin to follow him as he moved on. “Come along, Detective Reed. I’ll help you for now, until I’m sure Connor is safe. But I expect some answers later.”

“Yeah, yeah, you and everyone else,” Gavin grumbled quietly, limping as he rushed to catch up.

  
  


They discussed plans and tactics, and again, he was struck by how much Gavin Reed seemed to know. 

Or insisted he knew.

He was already promised answers, so he went along as Gavin told him what to expect. Location and body positions of Connor, Lieutenant Anderson and the second RK800, in a very detailed timeline. 

His own preconstruction software couldn’t predict that far ahead.

Their only point of contention was how to handle the second RK800.

It was clear that Gavin had a vendetta of some sort against this particular android.

Which was yet another contradiction in the man.

Gavin Reed had saved him because his physical features were designed to be very similar to Connor. Similar, but not identical, given that he had been intended for military use.

But this was Connor’s exact replica in every way, a perfect mirror image.

Yet, Gavin’s initial plan was to put a bullet in the RK800’s core processor and call it a day. 

No hesitation.

Whatever the cause, this was clearly personal.

He felt the need to point out that if this RK800 was not a deviant, then he could not be held responsible for what he had been ordered to do. He was no different from any other undeviated android.

Gavin rubbed his chin with one gloved hand as he mulled it over. Those grey eyes lit up with a thought, and he turned towards him and asked, “Think you can incapacitate him without getting the rest of us shot?”

He was CyberLife’s most advanced creation to date. His body was more reinforced than a Myrmidon. His strength was modeled after TR400, modified so it would not hinder his speed or reaction time.

Fully aware that he was overqualified for such a simple task, he smiled, wide and sharp and full of teeth. “Oh, absolutely.”

  
  


The situation they walked into was just as Gavin described it, and progressed just as he said. It was all too easy to slip into position, and silently creep forward.

The RK800 was holding Lieutenant Anderson at gunpoint using the man to prevent Connor from waking his first android. 

It was a dirty tactic, but an effective one, making Connor hesitate, and talk his way out, desperately trying to sway the RK800.

“Very moving Connor . . . ” The RK800 was saying, unaware that there was someone only a few meters behind him, lying in wait. “But I’m not a deviant. I’m a machine designed to accomplish a task, and that’s exactly what I am going to do!”

Gavin was the perfect distraction. 

His interjection was expertly timed, sarcastic, and almost casual in it’s delivery. 

“You know, that’s an awfully emotional response for someone claiming they’re not deviant.” Gavin said as he stepped out into the isle, gun up and trained on the RK800. He shrugged. “Then again, what the fuck do I know?”

He sprung into action as the RK800 made to shoot Gavin, pouncing from behind.With one arm, he applied moderate pressure around the smaller android’s neck, and with the other he crushed the barrel of the gun, rendering it useless. He cast it aside like the broken toy it was.

He was vaguely aware of Lieutenant Anderson gaping at him but his full attention was elsewhere.

This was the first time he had seen Connor in person, and he couldn’t help but drink him in. A scan quickly revealed that he was undamaged.

He suddenly wanted to go up to Connor, to properly introduce himself.

“You got him, Nines?”

The world froze for a moment as he realized Gavin was addressing _him_. 

He was distantly aware of the RK800 still fighting to free himself, but his grip was secure and would not be shaken. 

But that didn’t really matter right now. 

The name Connor never belonged to him. It was a simple fact he was aware of during activation, a name to cherish but not to claim as his own.

 _Nines_ was obviously a play on his model, but it sank within him and _settled_ , almost as if it had always been there.

“Nines?” He asked Gavin with a raised brow, desperate to hide how much he had been thrown. 

“Well, I sure as fuck ain’t calling you Connor .” Gavin explained. He must have deemed the situation secure, because he holstered his gun. “When you pick a better name, then I’ll call you that. Alright?”

 _Nines_.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to be called anything else.

It was then that Lieutenant Anderson could hold his silence no longer. “What- how . . .” He started unintelligibly, “What the fuck are you even doing here Reed?” And then the Lieutenant swung a finger at him. “And who the fuck is this?!”

Gavin just waved him off as me moved further into the isle. “I’ll get to you in a minute, Anderson. Wait your damn turn.”

And then Gavin and Connor were face to face.

Connor was Gavin’s soulmate.

He must be, for Gavin to be looking at him like _that_.

But something was off.

Connor was looking at Gavin like he had never truly seen him before. Equal parts awed and disbelieving, as if he never expected Gavin to be there.

“Detective Reed?” Connor breathed out, just loud enough for just the two of them.

But Nines could hear him too. 

Just as he could hear Gavin response.

A soft and gentle, “Hi, Connor.”

Connor was clearly analyzing the damage across Gavin’s face, clearly shocked at what he was finding.

“This was made with the butt of a rifle,” Connor murmured and reached out to brush his fingers along the damage. 

Nines bore witness to Connor’s confusion as Gavin tilted his face just out of his reach reach. The action looked like it had physically pained Gavin, but he still did it, pulling away from Connor with his fists clenched at his sides. 

“As glad as I am to see you, Connor . . .” 

A ripple of light caught Nines’ attention to Gavin’s gloves, lines of blue illuminating the seams. 

“I’m gonna need to have a talk with Amanda now.”

It happened so fast. 

A gun was suddenly in Connor’s hand, but Gavin, _perfectly human Gavin_ , intercepted the motion, grabbing Connor’s wrist-

And Connor shot Gavin point blank in the sternum. 

His thirium pump stalled in his own chest. 

Lieutenant Anderson and Gavin’s sister we’re both yelling, and he was rooted to the spot, unable to properly comprehend what just happened. 

He felt something crack, not physically, but _something_ must have, because his HUD was displaying errors and was warning him that his stress levels were dangerously high. 

He wanted nothing more that to rush up to the two of them. 

If he wasn’t still holding onto the RK800, he might have done just that. 

All he could do was watch as Connor blinked rapidly, then his eyes grew wide in dawning horror. Watched as Connor stumbled back out of Gavin’s hold, dropping the gun in his hand as if it _burned_. 

Gavin stepped after him, quick to reassure. “No, Connor, I’m okay. I’m okay, see?” He patted his own chest.

Connor immediately brushed Gavin’s hand away, fingers prodding until they found the slug lodged in the protective plating of his vest. “You- how did you . . .”

While Connor was investigating the damage, Gavin tugged off one of his gloves.

“CyberLife can’t touch you anymore,” Gavin was telling him quietly. The man laughed, short and nearly hysterical.“You have no idea how long I’ve wanted to tell you that.”

“But _how_ \- ”

Gavin laid his bare hand over the one touching his skin and-

And Nines learned so many things at once he didn’t know how to properly process it.

Gavin was Connor’s soulmate. If there had been any doubt left, then all that remained evaporated in that moment. 

He had most of Connor’s memories, well past Connor breaking through his own programming. He was intimately familiar with how Connor thought, and how he reacted and now . . . 

Now Connor’s face was telling him _worlds_ , but he had no idea how that was all possible. Connor was Gavin’s soulmate, Gavin had made it clear from the moment they met. 

How had Connor not known until now?

And why had Connor fired in the first place?

Why would he, why, why, _why_ . . . 

Desperate for an answer, Nines pinged Connor. When a direct communication request was ignored, Nines called out instead. “Connor! What did Gavin just do?”

Of course, that’s when Lieutenant Anderson decided to react. He had grabbed Gavin roughly and spun him around, face pale as he conducted his own examination.

Gavin immediately protested the rough treatment. “Ease off, old man! I’m wearing a damn vest!”

“I just watched you get shot point blank, excuse me for being concerned!”

“Connor!” Nines tried again.

Lost brown eyes met his, widening a bit as he actually _saw him._

“Amanda took control,” Connor told him, dazed. 

“She took control and she . . .” Connor was shaking his head. “But now she’s gone. Her, the garden, it’s all gone.”

Oh.

_Oh!_

Momentary panic had Nines running a scan on himself, searching.

He was both intensely relieved and extremely confused when he came back with nothing. 

He remembered his own deviation, remembered Amanda’s interference, holding him just long enough for security to take him down. 

He thought that her ability to take control was unique to his model. An added security measure put in place in the wake of his predecessor's deviance. 

He had been wrong. 

But Gavin Reed knew.

Somehow, he had _known_. He had known that the Amanda AI was capable of taking control.

He had expected it.

He had _prepared_ for it.

And had likely deleted her before reactivating Nines.

Yet another thing Gavin Reed shouldn’t know how to do.

Nines wanted to ask, but Connor was able to verbalize it first, when he turned to Gavin and asked, “How could you even know?” 

“Reconcile with big brother, did we?”

It was then that Nines realized that the RK800 in his grip was no longer fighting against his restraints. He hadn’t even noticed.

“Given your estrangement, we dismissed you as a potential threat.” The casual cadence of the words was a stark contrast to the borderline fury displayed before, hinting at who was really in control. “Our mistake.”

“Your mistake?” Gavin hissed, growing rage building in his eyes. “Yeah, you assholes made a mistake!” 

Gavin limped his way over, his anger seeming to grow with every step. As he drew closer he tugged his glove back into place, the seams flashed blue as it settled into place.

“That’s an awfully advanced bit of technology,” Amanda continued coolly . “Did Elijah give that to you? What did he say to you? What did it take to convince someone with such a long anti-android history to set off on this little crusade? Was it money? You should know we have more that he could ever offer you.”

Gavin paused his approach to laugh, the sound deep and echoing loudly in the relative silence of the warehouse.

“I love that you think he convinced me of anything. That’s adorable.” Gavin grinned, wide and vicious. “CyberLife made a mistake, alright. Thousands of them. But it all comes back to one, really.”

Nines’ grip flexed, gaze flickering back and forth between Gavin and the controlled RK800. He wondered what Gavin was going to do.

Gavin met his eye, which made the man pause.

“Don’t worry,” Gavin assured him. “This won’t hurt big brother number two. Just evict his hitchhiker, like I did with Connor. Promise.”

It was considerate of Gavin to consider his opinion at all, so he didn’t bother to correct the man.

Instead, Nines gave a single nod, encouraging the man to continue.

Amanda thrashed hard against Nines grip, but he held firm, allowing Gavin to square up in front of them.

Gavin stared hard at his target, fists clenching and expression stormy.

“This is for my family,” he said, and Gavin simply placed a hand on the RK800’s chest.

And just like with Connor, from one blink to the next there was a dramatic shift.

The RK800’s stress levels were at 83% and rapidly climbing. His artificial lungs were already heaving in an effort to cool biocomponents that were already overheating due to the sudden strain.

In an effort to prevent him from self-terminating, Nines spun the android around to face him. He grabbed his hand, initiating a forced probe and-

This must be what getting hit by a truck feels like. 

Completely blown apart and scattered in a million pieces.

And over all of that was panic, and regret, and _fear_ , and that was when he realized that none of these emotions were his own.

The RK800, unit number 60, was caught in a memory of being trapped in the Zen Garden, with Amanda’s cutting parting words ringing in repeat.

_Useless. Obsolete. Flawed._

And the horrific realization of what he had done-

_Physically subduing Hank Anderson when he wouldn’t comply willingly-_

What he had almost done-

_Immediately trying to obey his new orders to remove the obstacle that was Gavin Reed, but was ambushed from behind-_

He had fought, and fought, and fought, but he _couldn’t get out-_

“They’re all fine,” Nines murmured quietly, pushing calm across the connection, using it to interrupt the memory loop and bring him back to the present. “You did nothing lasting, nothing that can’t be forgiven. And you’re fine. Run a self diagnostic. See for yourself that she’s gone.”

As the RK800 brought himself back to acceptable stress levels, Nines spotted Gavin watching them from a few feet away.

“Deviant?” Gavin asked, voice a mere whisper.

He gave a short nod.

And then Nines dismissed the human as his android sister began a bout of sarcastic banter.

He didn’t tune back in until the mysterious time schedule was brought up again.

“Gavin. Time.”

“Right. Hey, Connor! Do what you came here for. Marcus is waiting, right?”

That seemed to mean something to Connor, but still he hesitated, clearly torn between Gavin and the rows of AP700s. “But . . .”

“This is bigger,” Gavin insisted. “Talk later, yeah?”

Connor and Gavin held each other’s gaze for a long moment. Connor broke first, turning his attention to the nearest AP700 and taking their hand.

“Wake up.”

It was like watching a ripple turn into a tidal wave.

 _When the rest of the deviants walk out of here,_ Gavin had said.

Nines stared at the man, this human who was battered, bruised, and bleeding. This man who was watching with pride as his soulmate awakened a whole army of deviant androids.

Nines was really looking forward to that explanation.

  
  


Connor had been quick to organize them, asking for volunteers to sweep and secure the rest of the tower, so no one would get left behind. The newly awakened RK800 offered to lead that group.

Nines himself offered to see both Gavin and Lieutenant Anderson to safety.

The gratitude Connor expressed was no different from what he had offered RK800, but when it was directed at _him_ his thirium pump did the same stutter they did when he first met Gavin Reed.

He was beginning to wonder if his systems had some sort of recurring error.

Nines had quickly secured transportation for his two human charges, but he couldn’t leave just yet.

Not without speaking to one person.

“Connor, may I have a moment of your time? Please.”

Connor quickly agreed, and the two of them stepped off to the side for a little bit of privacy.

It was the first time that had Connor’s full and undivided attention solely on him.

It was . . . a heady feeling to say the least.

Connor looked up at him, earnest, and a tiny bit concerned and asked, “What can I do for you, Nines?”

“I . . .

Suddenly he couldn’t put it into words exactly what he wanted to accomplish here. 

His existence has been so short, his real world experience only accumulating to a couple of hours at best. 

But he had always known Connor.

The very first choice he had made was to protect Connor, to assure his safety.

He had done that, and now . . .

This might be his only shot of Connor knowing him in return.

At the very least, Connor deserved to know how his soulmate came to be injured.

So, he extended a hand, his synthskin recceeding in an open invitation to interface.

Nothing could have prepared him for when Connor actually took his hand.

It was nothing like connecting with the other RK800. 

Then again, Nines hadn’t expected it to, as neither of them were currently under critical levels of stress. Plus this was Nines willingly offering up his memories, not a demand to see someone else’s. He didn’t have many of his own memories to begin with, but everything he had he offered to Connor.

He had likened being connected to the other RK800 to being hit by a truck.

But _this_ , this was overwhelming in an entirely new way, quiet, and encompassing, and _warm_. 

It was like . . . It was like he would imagine coming home felt like.

And interrupting all that was the very real feeling of something searing across his left forearm.

Connor pulled away first, eyes wide in shock, his own hand clutching at his left sleeve. He was already pushing the material up before Nines fully realized what had happened.

Connor’s synthskin retreated in a glowing line of blue revealing-

Not one name, but _two_.

The first one he expected, _Gavin Reed_ written out in slanted crimson script.

But below that was a name followed by a serial number in a vibrant purple, all stamped out in perfect CyberLife Sans.

 _His_ serial number.

And his name.

 _Nines_.

Wildly, he wondered if it would have still said that if Gavin Reed had decided to christen him with a different name. If he would have been so quickly attached to it.

He pushed up his own sleeve, just so he could see.

And there it was.

Connor’s name and serial number in bright thirium blue, in the same font shared by all androids. 

Oh.

 _Oh_.

Connor was was important to him since the moment of his activation. But he never thought, never even _considered_ that they could be-

That he was Connor’s soulmate.

But Connor already had a soulmate, and a quick search revealed no confirmed soulmate triads.

Soulmates were rare as it was.

So this-

He didn’t know what to think about this.

But he knew he would do anything for Connor, so he’s the one who broke the silence hanging heavy between them.

“What would you like to do?”

Warm brown eyes met his and softened. “I think that I’m going to echo Gavin’s earlier sentiment. This can wait. I need to leave with the others soon to meet up with Markus.” His lips twitched upward, just a bit. “But I feel better knowing Hank and Detective Reed are . . . are with family.”

And just like that, Connor left, leaving Nines to his own self assigned mission.

  
  


Connor was his soulmate.

Nines felt . . .

He don’t know what he felt.

He was adrift with sensations he had no name for. He hadn’t been in existence for very long, but he already had a few important people in his life. 

Connor already had a soulmate.

Nines didn’t didn’t think they _needed_ him. 

But Connor was reassured that Nines was personally escorting Lieutenant Anderson and Gavin off Bell Island.

Nines watched Gavin hobble his way over to the vehicle Nines brought around, saw him wave off Lieutenant Anderson’s attempts to help.

Maybe . . .

Maybe Connor needed a second soulmate to help take care of his loved ones.

Hank had a laundry list of vices and health issues, and It was already clear that Gavin was reckless and held little regard for the danger he put himself in.

It was easy to see how that would be difficult to handle alone.

He didn’t mind if this was to be his role.

Knowing the man’s history, Nines didn’t comment when Lieutenant Anderson demanded the keys. He just silently handed them over and climbed into the back seat with Gavin.

As he settled in, Gavin side-eyed him suspiciously. “This isn’t turning into a weird imprinting scenario, is it?”

Nines fixed the lines of his jacket, and lifted his chin. “Don’t flatter yourself. I was promised information. And with Connor safe from CyberLife control, I am here to collect. And to see you and Lieutenant Anderson safely home, of course.”

“Of course,” Gavin repeats sarcastically, but doesn’t protest beyond that. 

The screen on the center console crackled to life revealing the classic facial features of a blonde hair, blue eyes ST200.

Nines felt like she was staring directly at him and suddenly he just _knew_ this was Gavin’s sister.

“He better make it home, 900,” She said, confirming his suspicion. “My threat still stands, after all, and I have all the means to deliver.” Her sharp smile morphed into something more polite to the man actually driving the SUV. “I’ve already set your destination into the car’s GPS, and given the current state of the city, you should be here in an hour if you’re lucky.”

“Where is here ?” Anderson growled at her. “And who the hell are you?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but Gavin beat her to it.

“Valerie. Is Tina still there with Sumo?” Gavin asked tiredly. 

The Lieutenant spun in his seat to give Gavin a dirty look. “And why the fuck does Tina have my dog?”

To his credit, Gavin didn’t look like he had expected to be asked that. “Um, in case your body was never found?”

“Stop being an asshole,” a new voice chimed in, the camera shifting to show Officer Tina Chen. “Hello, Lieutenant! I’m glad to see you’re okay. Your house was such a mess, I was worried, but Gavin said you were okay. He drag you into this too?”

“Too!?” Hank bellowed. “I don’t even know what this is!”

“Hey, Tina.” Gavin waved, clearly desperate to change the subject. “Did I deliver on that family reunion or what?”

She jabbed an angry finger at him. “You are not allowed to joke!”

The conversation immediately spiraled out of control from there.

“First there’s the Kamski-is-my-brother bombshell-”

“The what?” Hank tried to interrupt, but Tina talked right over him. 

“- then you get shot three fucking times- ”

“He _what_?!”

“One was just a graze!”

“- and even through all of this crap, you still haven’t-”

Nines decided enough was enough.

“I believe, ” he cut in sharply, pleased when he saw he had everyone’s attention and silence. He took a moment to collect himself before continuing. “I believe that explanations are owed all around. Perhaps it could wait until we have actually arrived at our destination?”

There was mumbled assent from the others, and Gavin looked more relieved now than he had when Nines rescued him from the guard. 

“Did Connor’s group meet up with Markus and the survivors?” Gavin suddenly asked, earning him a curious stare from Nines. 

Connor was sending him frequent updates, so he already knew, but was curious to see what was said.

“He’s about to,” Valerie said somewhere off camera. “Want me to stream the live feed into the car once Markus begins his big speech?”

 _When_ , Nines noted.

Connor was about to meet up with Markus.

Nines didn’t doubt the certainty of _when_ when Gavin Reed was involved

“Yeah,” Gavin said. “Thanks Val.”

“Sure. Glad you’re not dead!” 

The screen went dead and all at once Gavin seemed to _deflate_. He tilted back against the headrest and just _breathed_. He must have been running on adrenaline alone, so he was probably feeling the full extent of his injuries as well.

And Valerie had mentioned they were looking at an hour of travel.

He wanted to help if he could.

“Would you allow me to look at your wounds?” 

Gavin rolled his head to look at him, clearly not having the energy to do much more. “I’ll be fine until we reach the house,” Gavin assured.

“No need to risk the infection.” Nines insisted. “And risk the wrath of your sister.”

Or Connor. Nines didn’t know how he would react if Gavin’s condition worsened while in his care.

Gavin grinned at him. “Val’s got you running scared, huh?”

“Her unwavering conviction in her abilities is . . . concerning.”

That made Gavin chuckle. It immediately turned into a hiss of pain as he clutched his side. 

Gavin chuckled and instantly regretted it when it left him clutching the side of his ribs. “Okay, yeah, sure,” he breathed in agreement. “Knock yourself out.”

Nines scrounged around the back of the SUV until he located the first aid kit. All CyberLife vehicles were required to carry them. The kit was more sparse than he would prefer, but Nines was sure he could make due. At the very least he could assess the full extent to the damage so he could relay it to Connor.

The easiest wound to tend to was the graze on Gavin’s leg. Gavin wouldn’t even have to move much, which would allow the man to rest for a moment. When a quick scan told him that the shears in the kit were inadequate to cut through the heavy material of Gavin’s pants he quickly found an alternative.

“May I see your knife?”

Without hesitation Gavin pulled the folder knife clipped to the inside of his pocket, and handed it off without a word.

It was a small show of trust, but it pleased Nines none the less.

With careful maneuvering and a few precise cuts later he had safely cut away the lower pant leg. With one hand he gave Gavin back his knife, and the other carefully hooked a hand under the man’s ankle so he could lift the injured leg into his lap.

Two fingers landed on bare skin just above the boot and socks.

Nines felt a familiar burn lance up his left arm and froze.

Gavin was looking at him with wide panicked eyes, his heart rate spiking at an alarming rate, face growing pale. 

“You were there the whole time.” 

The words were soft, a quiet horrified revelation.

Nines didn’t know whether he was hurt or offended, so he settled on confused.

“Hank, pull over.”

The Lieutenant must have heard something in Gavin’s voice that Nines missed, because his response was immediate. As fast as reflex.

They screeched to a stop and Gavin practically fell out to vomit on the side of the road. 

Nines climbed out as well and crouched down beside him as he coughed and gasped between bouts, hovering close but not sure of how he could help. When Gavin’s stomach finally finished emptying its contents, he still remained hunched over and gasping, clutching his side with one trembling hand.

Realizing that the man was in agony, Nines carefully pulled Gavin upright and steadied him as best he could. 

Gavin’s earpiece was still active, and clearly monitoring more than just audio when Valerie began asking, “Gavin, are you alright? What’s happening?”

To his credit, he tried to answer, but his words kept being interrupted by every hitching breath.

Nines was worried he was going to start another round of dry heaving.

“Gavin,” He told him firmly. “I know your ribs are hurting, but you need calm down and just _breathe_.”

“What the fuck is wrong with Reed?”

Nines barely spared Hank a passing glance, and answered as succinctly as he could. “Emotional shock I do believe. We just learned that I am his second soulmate.”

“His _second_ -”

“I didn’t know,” Gavin gasped. His hands were searching out Nines, fingers finding purchase on clothing and held tight. “All this time you were down there, and I _didn’t know._ ”

Of course Gavin hadn’t known.

But then again, if there is one thing Nines knew about Gavin Reed from his own personal experiences is that he knew a lot of things that he shouldn’t. 

But he hadn’t known about Nines.

“And I might never if I hadn’t - I could have- I almost _left you there_!”

Gavin was almost to the point of hysterics, and all Nines could do was hold him and try to keep him from further aggravating his injuries. 

“I never knew Reed even had a soulmate,” Hank was muttering to himself. “But two? This is officially the most bizarre night of my life.”

Hank didn’t know.

Connor hadn’t known.

Gavin had known, of course. One of many things that the man shouldn’t have been able to foresee. 

Gavin had known that Connor was his soulmate.

But Gavin hadn’t know about _him_.

And the guilt of that seemed to be eating the man alive.

“Get him home, 900,” Valerie told him through Gavin’s earpiece. Or, she had the same voice profile as Valerie. The tone was softer, and just a touch _sad_. “We’ll explain what we can when you get here.”

  
  


Gavin’s second sister was named Nadine, and was in fact another ST200.

Nines was once more in the back of the SUV with Gavin, sitting shoulder to shoulder and watching as the deviant leader Markus made a televised speech to the world. He saw Connor standing in the background, and immediately saw the strategic advantage if CyberLife had been able to seize the moment.

“Lieutenant,” Nines commented faintly. what do you think would have occurred if CyberLife had been able to take control right now?”

Hank immediately caught on. “Aw, shit.”

“Two bullets.”

Nines turned to look at Gavin, but the man’s expression was unfocused, distant. 

“Gavin?” He asked softly.

“Always two,” he said, and pointed his finger forward like a gun. 

_One_. 

Then lifted until he pointed at his chin.

 _Two_.

A chill ran right down through Nines’s frame.

The thought of what could have been, different future where Gavin didn’t find him.

Where he wasn’t there to save Gavin from the security guard so ready to put a bullet in his skull.

Where Connor ended the same, only by his own hand. 

He would have never been activated again, because surely CyberLife was going to dismantle him at their first opportunity. 

Nines pinged Connor. Clearly he had made the same realization about how CyberLife could have utilized his position, Nines could practically feel the fear and stress through the connection.

 _“I’m sending you coordinates”_ , Nines sent. _“I strongly suggest you meet us there as soon as you can.”_

 _“Is everyone alright?”_ Connor asked instantly.

 _“Yes,”_ he was quick to reassure. _“But there is going to be a conversation I think you need to be privy to. And I don’t think it would be a good idea to have Gavin explain it twice.”_

_“Alright. I’ll let you know as soon as I’m en route. Don’t start without me?”_

_“Of course not.”_

  
  


Nines was glad they waited for Connor. 

Not only did it give them a chance to tend to Gavin’s wounds and give proper support to his cracked ribs, but because Nines needed another person he trusted to confirm what he was hearing. 

Gavin Reed had been stuck in a perpetual time loop for years, starting from the night after the Ortiz case to Markus’ speech.

The technology he had used to purge Amanda and the Zen Garden had been his own design and construction. He had learned the ins and outs of android engineering and programming just so he could.

That and so much more.

The more Nines heard, the more he could connect it to observations he’d made. 

So much pain and trauma, over and over, a human pushed to the point that pain was felt, but no longer worrisome, death now marking an instant restart, not a true end.

Nines was so new to the world that the thought of enduring such a thing for so long was absolutely terrifying.

But Gavin had done just that for Connor.

And given his turmoil after they had first touched skin to skin, Nines was sure Gavin would have done the same for him.

If he had only known about him before today.

But all three of them were here. 

All three of them were alive, and _free_ , and were sitting all together at the start of a new era of Earth’s history.

With all three of them working together, supporting each other, Nines just knew they could build a life worth living.

Together.

  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
